Brunch doesn’t get any better than this Vegan Eggs Florentine. Made with tofu, spinach, and dairy-free hollandaise sauce, this recipe is perfect for Easter, Mother’s Day, or any day you’re craving a savory breakfast dish.
Florentine
When relating to food, the word “Florentine” refers to spinach. It’s said that Catherine de Medici, who was born in Florence, introduced spinach to French cuisine. A dish that is prepared a dish prepared “à la Florentine” would be one made with spinach. Traditionally, the spinach would be simmered in butter, which is a little too decadent for my tastes.
Eggs Florentine customarily consists of toasted bread or English muffins, poached eggs, and spinach topped with Mornay sauce. Mornay sauce is a creamy béchamel that has added cheese.
The Difference between Benedict and Florentine
Benedicts and Florentines are similar. They both use toast or an English muffin as a base, and they both contain poached eggs and a creamy sauce. Eggs Benedict is usually made ham and hollandaise sauce, whereas eggs Florentine has spinach and a cheese-laden Mornay sauce.
I shared my recipe for Tofu Benedict a few months ago, and I cheated slightly, adding greens and tomatoes, mainly because I wanted to get my veggies in. To give it a slight cheesy flavor, I also added a little bit of nutritional yeast to my hollandaise. Tempeh bacon stood in for ham.
Vegan Egges Florentine
Here in this tofu-based vegan eggs Florentine, I’m using lightly sautéed spinach. Since my hollandaise sauce recipe is already a little cheesy thanks to added nooch, I used it, rather than veganizing Mornay sauce.
I’ve changed up the tofu for this recipe, too. In my vegan Benedict recipe, I dipped slices of tofu in nutritional yeast and spices and then baked it to perch atop my English muffins. This Florentine recipe uses baked tofu, but this time it’s silken tofu. Rather than dip slices in nutritional yeast and spices, I’ve blended them together in a food processor and poured the mixture into a baking dish. By baking silken tofu, it gives it a custardy, eggy texture that complements the spinach and toast really well. Don’t worry if the tofu falls apart when you take it out of the dish – it will still be delicious.
I have cooked the tofu in a pan on the stovetop like an omelet. While it does technically work, it’s very messy, and it sticks everything. I prefer to bake it and let it do it’s thing in the oven.
The kala namak in this recipe gives the tofu a little bit of an eggy taste. Kala namak is also known as black salt, it can sometimes be found with the Asian at the grocery store. I usually buy it at an Indian spice market.
Vegan Eggs Florentine Can be Made in just a Few Easy Steps!
- First, you mix up the tofu and spices.
- Then, you mix the tofu with nutritional yeast and spices and bake it.
- Next, you quickly sauté the spinach.
- Finally, you assemble the dish by placing the spinach and tofu on a slice of toast or English muffin and then drizzling it with hollandaise sauce.
You can make this vegan Florentine recipe with toast, English muffins, or even biscuits. If you prefer kale, arugula, or chard over spinach, go ahead and use one of them instead. But, shhh… don’t tell anyone that you’re Florentine isn’t really “à la Florentine.”
I like to make vegan Eggs Florentine for breakfast on lazy Sunday mornings. It’s a great dish to serve at a family brunch, and it’s perfect for brinner!
Vegan Eggs Florentine
Ingredients
- 1 12-ounce package silken tofu
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon kala namak (black salt)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon neutral flavored oil
- 1 shallot thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 5 ounces baby spinach
- 4 slices of your favorite bread toasted
- 1 recipe Hollandaise Sauce
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°. Lightly oil a baking dish or line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Blend the silken tofu, nutritional yeast, cornstarch, lemon juice, turmeric, onion powder, garlic powder, sea salt, and kala namak in a food processor or high-speed blender until smooth and creamy.
- Pour the tofu mixture into the baking dish. Smooth it out with a spatula or the back of a wooden spoon. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the tofu turns golden brown and puffs up a little
- Heat a large pan over medium-high heat and add the oil. Place the sliced shallot and garlic in the pan and cook, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes or so, or until the shallot and garlic are fragrant and begin to brown.
- Add the spinach to the pan and stir until it begins to wilt. It should only take two or three minutes. Placing the lid on the pan will speed things up.
- To assemble the tofu Florentine, use a fork or spatula break the tofu apart into four equal (or close to equal) sized pieces. Don’t worry if it falls apart. Top each piece of toast with a big spoonful of spinach and a piece of the tofu. Drizzle on the Hollandaise Sauce. Serve hot.
Oh my goodness, I used to LOVE eggs florentine before I went vegan. I liked them way better than eggs Benedict, because the spinach made then seem extra hearty to me. I can’t wait to try your recipe!
The spinach adds a little boost of nutrition, too! I hope you enjoy this, Becky!
I love how you have made the eggs for this, very clever!
Thank you, Susan! I hope you get a chance to try it!
This is my dream breakfast! Well done!
Thank you, Cadry!